Course Tour

The opening hole bends gently right to left around a pair of fairway bunkers. Favour the left centre of the fairway for a clear view of the flag. A substantial bunker guards the right of the green, and when the pin is tucked to that side, the approach from the left becomes everything. A deceptively thoughtful start.

A short par three of real beauty. The bunkers framing this green are among the finest on the course, their rear lips raised for added intimidation. Pin positions in the back corners demand real precision from the tee. When Dr Alister MacKenzie visited in 1926, he called it one of the finest short holes in Australia.

A par four rewarding the patient tee shot. Two staggered bunkers guard the driving zone - a reinstated 1932 MacKenzie bunker on the right for the longer hitter, and the left bunker, brought closer to the tee, for the average golfer. Favour the right and new pin positions in the rear left of the green open up. Behind the green, a deep swale awaits any miss.

Tightened for the 1997 Australian Open, two new fairway bunkers narrow the driving corridor. A new back tee added distance, so while reaching this green in two is tempting, the approach demands real precision. The putting surface is elevated and perched - miss long or right and you're in trouble. Two solid blows and a sharp short game leave most players satisfied here.

One of Metropolitan's most celebrated holes - a par four with real bite. Two deep bunkers threaten the left side off the tee, and the green is dominated by a severe slope off the right-hand greenside bunker. When the flag is right, an approach from the left half with a short or mid-iron is the play. One of the great holes on the Sandbelt.

The second of three front-nine par fives - a dogleg demanding a bold drive to the far left. Jack Nicklaus famously carried the cross bunker at 270 metres in the 1967 Australian PGA Championship. A new bunker in the lay-up zone challenges the second shot when the pin sits in the right half of the green - the best angle to attack it from. The enlarged left greenside bunker now creates a tighter back-left pin for those who drove left all along.

Don't be fooled by those who call this hole flat and straightforward. The bunkers ringing this green are beautifully constructed - a real test of the long iron or fairway wood. Pin positions tucked into the back corners demand a precise shape and total commitment. A long par three with considerably more depth than its profile suggests.

A par five framed by trees both sides, bending right. Drive too far right and the recovery needs a low fade around the corner trees to reach the green in two. The right fairway bunker is firmly in play for middle-distance drives - a consistent test of judgement. The green complex is the real character here, a broad swale and deep left bunker making up-and-downs genuinely difficult.

A dogleg right, thoughtfully reshaped. The tee has moved to ease the severity of the bend, putting driver back in more hands and opening the right side. The new right-hand bunkers come with a footnote - they occupy the site of Alister MacKenzie's original 10th green. The putting surface remains the most beautifully contoured on the course. Being on in two guarantees nothing.

The back nine opens with a dogleg left perfectly suited to a long draw. In summer the extra run makes it feel shorter than the card suggests, but this is still a substantial par four. The two-tiered green is flanked by greenside bunkers of real scale - pin positions close to either side demand precision from the fairway. Commit to the draw for the best birdie chance.

A medium-length par three where the pin position dictates everything - club selection, shot shape, and mindset. The back-left pin positions are fiercely guarded, while the front offers a more forgiving target for those happy to run the ball up. Like the second, reaching the centre isn't the challenge - it's having the nerve to attack the corners where the toughest pins sit.

A shortish par four where driving position is everything. A new bunker further down the left challenges the longer hitter, and the fairway slopes gather the ball toward it. A ridge across the front of the green divides the putting surface - the back two thirds falling away. Find the left and the angle opens up; miss right and that ridge sends the approach offline.

Short in distance but visually striking. A nest of bunkers between the 12th and 13th - including one back-left near the 14th tee - adds strategic definition and visual balance. The green has been lowered around half a metre, improving the view from the tee. The back-right plateau demands precision. The wind rarely helps here, and a par is genuinely earned.

The last of Metropolitan's four par fives, and one good players can reach in two. The ideal drive carries or skirts the left fairway bunkers, opening the green from the left. The second-shot bunker now sits more visibly on the horizon, the ground before it shaped into low rolling hollows that make the land movement unmistakable. Subtle green contours allow for challenging pin positions. The risk-reward conversation starts on the tee.

Widely regarded as Metropolitan's most demanding par four. The original first fairway bunker - long a frustration for members - has been removed and replaced with low hollows. A new longer bunker further down the left now provides the real challenge for better golfers, extending across the fairway into the line of play. The green's surrounding bunkers have been reshaped with a distinctly Metro feel.

One of the great short par fours - the green now fully visible from the tee, framed by expansive indigenous heathland. The green of two halves, divided by a central bunker, means tee shot choice depends entirely on the pin. Left pin: drive left and approach up that line. Back right: play short of the corner bunkers for a direct, open approach. Three genuine options off the tee.

The 17th is one of Metropolitan's most talked-about holes, its towering Swamp Cypress trees giving it a character unlike anywhere else on the course. The green complex is the defining feature, with a deep front right bunker and a subtly elevated putting surface that demands a precise, well-judged approach. A demanding par four with a setting all its own.

One of the great finishing holes in Australian golf. The championship tee now stretches this to 450 metres, its position shifted left to change the angle of attack. A new bunker on the left, reinstated from the original layout much like the third hole, comes into immediate view. The right-hand fairway bunkers now sit further down and staggered. Greg Norman three-putted here in 1979, and again in 1997. History lives on every metre.

Metropolitan's 19th is no afterthought. The tees have been dropped to accentuate the uphill nature of the hole - one of the most distinctive tee shots at Metro. The green has been redesigned with the front-right bunker filled, creating new pin positions to dial up the challenge for championships. Getting here in regulation is an achievement. Converting the par is not guaranteed.